The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey

We have stayed at this hotel for years and this is the first time that we're disappointed. The hotel looks tired, with baseboards that need painting and rooms that need to be refreshed. But, I could have ignored that if the service had been up to Ritz Carlton standards. Unfortunately it was not. The general manager really needs to step up the staff training. When we checked in, there was only one person working at reception. This was a Friday afternoon of a busy week-end (the Rams were playing the Bills at home on Sunday). As the line of people waiting to check in grew, he finally went to the back room and got a second receptionist to come out. When the line continued to grow, he went in the back and got a third receptionist. We were second in line and waited over 20 minutes to check in. My question is why were the employees in the back room not at the receptionist desk where they could help hotel guests check in? Also, in the past, we were always offered a bottle of water at reception - - not this time. And, the receptionist did not tell us, although this was the custom on previous visits, that if we wanted turn down service we had to request it and it would be noted on our reservation. But, it wasn't just the front desk. The service in the lounge on the club level was almost non-existent on Friday and Saturday. The only competent and friendly person working in the lounge was Adam on Sunday night. He deserves a shout out. The other employees spent most of their time talking to each other in the back room behind the bar. If you needed anything, you had to walk behind the bar to get their attention. Moreover, they paid very little attention to the lounge itself. When we walked in on both Friday and Saturday there were at least 2, and some times 3, tables that had not been cleared. The guests had left and there were dirty dishes sitting on the tables. On Saturday morning when we went to have breakfast, there were no coffee cups near the coffee machine and the hot plate with bacon had only one strip of bacon. If this were a 3 star hotel with breakfast included for all of the guests, it might have been ok. But the Ritz Carlton is supposed to be 5 star hotel and the price of club level rooms is high. Hopefully the management can turn things around.

Beware of false upgrades. I am a platinum BonVoy member and have stayed for decades at this hotel. I was offered an upgrade to a larger room with 2 queen beds if I paid $80 more per night. I accepted because my son was coming and is 6 ft 4 inches and needs a larger bed. When we arrived they said they do not have rooms with 2 queen beds and that I was the fifth person that day to mention this. They only had double beds ‘rooms . . I reported this discrepancy to Marriott. They responded quickly saying they would train their staff in this issue but offered no refund for the additional money paid for the upgrade to queen beds. Many better hotels to stay in in the LA area and realize now that the Ritz is no longer the caliber of what it used to be before Marriott bought it. You can do MUCH better elsewhere if you want to stay at a true luxury hotel. In addition, be aware that valet parking was $63 per night. It is only $6/ 24 hour directly across the street.

I second the european reviewer etc who have said this place has become a dump. I have stayed almost everywhere in los angeles and this is one of the worst. The staff are some of the worst in socal and the overall amentity has gone so downhill it's hard to recognize anymore. I had to be in this area so I ended up having someone book me at foghorn harbor inn down the street. ritz marina del rey is the seediest ,sketchiest hotel as it gets. they have no standards in hiring MANAGEMENT or staff. the responses on here from management are insincere as hell . if you like golddiggers you'll love this place

I have been staying at this hotel for 8 years at least 2-3 times a year for work from London. I have never had an issues but the last two visits have been awful. The most recent one I got given a room that smelt of the combination of stinky food and damp. I slept with the door open to the marina. I told the guy on the desk this morning and he looked at me and said nothing. Your front desk staff are ALL awful. They used to be so warm, friendly and welcoming. They remembered I stay at your hotel often. Now I get treated like someone who doesn’t know the hotel with the coldest, more unwelcoming executional poise! I’m back next week and the week after and hope for a better experience! Get your game face on and either fire or retrain your reception staff. The door men are awesome!

This hotel is old and it does show in the appearance of the room. The service, however, is excellent. The guy who checked us in was very friendly. He walked us through all the benefits included in our Amex FHR booking. It was a smooth check-in process. The room was huge. The view was stunning. It was overlooking the marina. When we got to the room, there was a plate of goodies, which was much appreciated. The bed was comfortable. The bathroom was just standard with a bathtub, no separate shower. The toiletries were okay. Overall, we enjoyed our stay.